Tuesday, 19 January 2016

R.I.P. Glenn Frey...

The wonderful music of the
Eagles has been with me since the early 70’s. Together with Jackson Browne, Bob
Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Neil Young, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell they got me through
my university days, and have stayed with me ever since.

In the pace of eight days we've lost David Bowie and Alan Rickman and yesterday we lost Glenn Frey, a founding member and, together with Don Henley, a creative genius of The
Eagles. So much wonderful music and lyrics that it would be easy to sit here and
weave this post with one-liners from the songs which form the soundtrack to much
of my life.We saw The Eagles perform
live three times. They were fantastic celebrations of their music,
the harmonies they could produce live on stage on a par with anything from a
studio recording.Hotel California would be on
my Desert Island Disc list, but I could choose so many other Eagles tracks. It would
certainly be a close contender for my final choice. The lyrics were written by
Glenn Frey. You can see a post on Hotel California here.I’m so sad at Glenn’s
passing at the age of 67 and my thoughts are with his wife, children, family and friends as they
come to terms with a life without him. I'm sure they are very proud of him and all he achieved through his music. I've listened to and read tributes from many people, but this tribute from Don Henley
says it all…"He was like a brother to me; we were
family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we
forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles
were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles
with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry -- and with
perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and
our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone
could have dreamed. But, Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark
plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music
and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial,
generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved is wife and kids more than
anything. We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow. We
brought our two-year 'History of the Eagles Tour' to a triumphant close at the
end of July and now he is gone. I'm not sure I believe in fate, but I know that
crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it
eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the
planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But,
I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my
brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some."

9 comments:

A lovely tribute. Think we have all reached an age where more of these things are happening, always such sad news. I have 'lost' several personal friends in the last few months as well! Take care Diane xx

Yes.. it is all so sad that we have reached the generation where the deaths of our beloved artistic "friends" remind us of our own mortality. Inevitably more will fall... and our tears will fall again and again. The Eagles were all great individual musician and their music will still give an uplift of joy and happiness - a reminder of our youth and theirs. it was all too beautiful! Small Faces!

Like your post, Gaynor. I was saddened last year or the year before when it was announced that Linda Ronstadt had given up singing because she has Parkinson's disease. I was also sad about Glen Frey's passing.

About Me

I am originally from the Welsh valleys, but have lived in Staffordshire since 1979, when I first started teaching. I retired a couple of years ago, but finding my new place in the world is a bit of a challenge! I miss the daily contact with young people and still enjoy the days when I am invited back to do some supply teaching.
Once a teacher...
I divide my time between the UK and the small village of Le Petit-Pressigny in the Touraine Sud area of France. Currently we are trying to discover the right balance of time spent in the UK, France or travelling to new places.
One day ....
I am married to Tim, and have two children but I have 'empty nest' syndrome.
As a possible antidote I occasionally blog!